Department of English and Philosophy
Novelist Margaret Atwood speaks to EN102 Literature Course. On 5 February, acclaimed novelist Margaret Atwood spoke to Cadets enrolled in EN102: Literature about The Handmaid’s Tale. During her visit, Ms. Atwood stopped by the Cadet Bookstore for a book signing, dined in the Cadet Mess, and spoke to students in Eisenhower Hall about how she developed the ideas for The Handmaid’s Tale and the rules she established for herself when writing. As part of a course-wide experience, all Cadets enrolled in the Spring session of EN102 Literature read Atwood’s canonical novel along with Ursula LeGuin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas.”
Plebes Meet Comics Artist and Theorist Scott McCloud in New York City. On 3 February, 16 plebes from EN102: Literature traveled with five DEP faculty to New York City to hear comics artist and theorist Scott McCloud speak at the 92nd Street Y. McCloud is the author of Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art (1993), a book that defined comics theory and elevated comics as an art form. He was in New York to celebrate the publication of his first full-length graphic novel, The Sculptor. The cadets met with the artist privately before his talk, when he answered their questions about the process of composing comics and the state of the art today. McCloud detailed the work of drafting and revising his new novel, a five-year process that gave form to a story about love, death, and art that he had carried with him since his youth. The cadets on the trip section will be reading a graphic novel during EN102.
Cadets Feel the Magic of Goblin Market on Stage in Garrison Eight cadets from EN102 and a group of DEP faculty crossed the Hudson on 8 February to see a rare performance of Goblin Market at the Depot Theatre in Garrison. The 1985 musical adaptation of Christina Rossetti’s 1862 poem, which cadets will study in class, was written by Polly Pen and Peggy Harmon. Local actors Maia Guest and Jenn Lee brought the enchanting story of desire and heroism to life in an intimate setting with beautiful voices, costumes, and choreography. Donald Kimmel directed the production, which runs for the next two weekends.
Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Travel to Enhance Collaborative Efforts with DARPA’s Warrior Web Program Performers: On 4 February 2015, LTC Michael Benson and Dr. Becky Zifchock, representing the Civil & Mechanical Engineering Department as well as the Center for Innovation and Engineering, travelled to Cambridge, MA and Orlando, FL to meet with collaborators from DARPA, Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering (NSRDEC), ARL (Human Research & Engineering Directorate), Harvard/Wyss Institute, and other program performers to discuss the progress of DARPA’s Warrior Web Program. The goal of the Warrior Web Program is to design a lightweight suit that can assist with the prevention and reduction of musculoskeletal injuries caused by dynamic events typically found in the warfighter’s environment.
The meeting in Cambridge, MA was focused upon a specific program performer: the Harvard/Wyss Institute. The follow-up meeting in Orlando, FL allowed further interaction and collaboration discussions with the Harvard/Wyss Institute as well as other program performers including Arizona State University, the University of Delaware, and Honeywell.
The meetings are expected to yield immediate and future opportunities for faculty and cadet research. An AIAD at Harvard/Wyss Institute is planned for summer 2015, which is likely to evolve into a funded Firstie Capstone project related to elemental redesign of the Harvard/Wyss Institute soft exoskeleton. Future research opportunities with NSRDEC, ARL, and Harvard/Wyss are expected to engage cadets in the validation of the Warrior Web as an effective assistive device.
CIE hosts the Quarterfinal Round of the Soldier Design Competition and the DARPA Service Academy Innovation Challenge: CSM Lebert Beharie (RDECOM), SGM Kenneth Agueda (RDECOM G-3/5/7), and SGM Kevin Connor (ARL) joined SGM Eric Usbeck (USMA G3), Professor Led Klosky (D/C&ME), and COL(Ret) Dan Ragsdale (DARPA) in judging the integrated Soldier Design Competition (SDC) and DARPA Service Academy Innovation Challenge (SAIC) quarterfinal round on Friday, 6 February. Twenty-eight cadet teams presented their work in 15-minute windows to convince the judging panels to keep them in the competitions. Entrepreneurship cadets joined the audience, looking for business development opportunities, and several journalists documented the day’s innovation efforts. For the SDC, six teams of cadets are competing alongside M.I.T. students in this RDECOM-sponsored competition to develop solutions to satisfy soldier and first-responder equipment needs, with nearly $17,000 in cash prizes available for winning teams at the 4 May competition. The DARPA SAIC occurs on 28 April and showcases three teams from USAFA, USNA, and USMA and their innovative, high impact projects.
Department of Systems Engineering
Engineering Immersion Internship with Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC). COL Rob Kewley, head of the Department of Systems Engineering, traveled to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville Alabama to visit cadets being jointly hosted by AMRDEC and University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) for a semester-long Engineering Immersion Internship. This pilot program places cadets in key engineering jobs in support of AMRDEC’s mission to “Deliver collaborative and innovative technical capabilities for responsive and cost-effective research, product development, and life-cycle systems engineering solutions.” These cadets work 20-25 hours per week in their internships. The program is designed to inspire deeper desire for learning engineering through working with some of the Army’s best practicing engineers. In addition, the cadets take three courses at UAH and conduct military training with ROTC students at UAH and Alabama A&M. CDT Zack Sostak, and Engineering Management Major, is working with the Army’s Product Manager for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems developing a small unmanned aircraft acquisition strategy for the next 5 years. CDT John Geiger, a Mechanical Engineering Major, is working with the Prototype Integration Facility to model the use of composite materials for the Army’s Gray Eagle UAV. CDT Matt Loza, a Systems Engineering Major, is working with the Software Engineering Directorate to develop control algorithms for the Multi-Mission Launcher that can fire a variety of different air defense munitions. CDT Owen Bailey, an Engineering Management Major, is working with the Prototype Integration Facility to engineer a fully digital cockpit for the UH-60V Black Hawk Helicopter upgrade. This program is a cooperative effort between the West Point Department of Systems Engineering, AMRDEC, and UAH. Results of this program and its impacts on leader development will be assessed in the context of the overall leader development experience for the participants.
Department of Foreign Languages
Arabic: Eight Arabic students continue their studies in Morocco and Jordan. The three Cadets in Morocco are exploring the various aspects of Moroccan culture and cuisine, including dining with a host family in Rabat. In Jordan, the five Cadets there report things quickly returned to normal after classes were resumed 5 February. Classes had been cancelled and the Embassy had cautioned against travel to some parts of Amman in anticipation of protests against ISIL. As the Cadets’ routines begin to return to normal, they are looking forward to continuing to volunteer their time with refugees at a local orphanage.
Chinese: The Cadets studying in Beijing have settled into their lives as exchange students. Cadet Lashondra Maddox’s observations of the week were; “This week would be described as interesting, if anything. Tuesday I did something out of the normal. I took the bus 10 stops to go have dinner with my language partner. It was exciting. I realized how selfless some people here are. She goes out of her way to help me whenever I need it. She helped me and the other West Point cadets book tickets so that we could leave for Spring Festival. She didn't leave until she made sure that we had the tickets secured. She constantly checks on me to make sure I have eaten dinner. There have been two occasions where someone has offered to pay for something, because some places require Chinese bank accounts to purchase things, a teacher or friend never hesitated in offering to use their card to help out. Even if they don't personally know me, they instantly trust me. Second is the frequency of using “thank you”, “I'm sorry”, and “I love you”. I realized that I say sorry and thank you too much for the liking of Chinese citizen. I learned that it implies you're not close if you use it with friends. Also, I love you is rarely said in a family because that is the least you should expect from them. I still do not fully understand stand why the use of "I love you" between family members is still reserved, but hopefully I can come to a full understanding soon.”
Russian: This week cadets on study abroad in Daugavpils, Latvia had an opportunity to visit Border Guards posts along the Latvia-Belarus border and discuss immigration and customs enforcement issues with the Latvian border guards. This excursion was part of a course on the history and socio-political relations between the Baltic states, Russia, Poland and Belarus.
German: Language or International Club key events: USMA German Club met with Columbia University’s German Club for dinner at the “Zum Schneider” German restaurant in New York City on 30 January 2015. Members of the two clubs enjoyed delicious German food in an indoor Bavarian-style Biergarten, practiced their German-language skills, and discussed plans for future meetings and events both in NYC and at West Point. This was the first meeting between the two clubs and the first engagement for the new USMA German Club committee which was formed in November 2014. Meetings with German Clubs in the area are a major focus of the USMA German Club’s mission and support the Superintendent’s strategy of “Building Partnerships with NYC” and the region.
Center for Leadership and Diversity in STEM
The Center for Leadership and Diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CLD STEM) supported the LEADS Atlanta event on 23 January 2015 by holding a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® workshop for middle school students and a VEX Robotics workshop for 9th graders. Faculty members and cadets led a total of 68 middle school students through the workshops as they assembled and then learned to program their robot introducing the students to basic programming logic. The culminating event at the workshops was a competition to see who could apply these new skills to program their robot to complete a task most successfully.
Mobile Robotics Workshops in Stamford The Center for Leadership and Diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CLD STEM) partnered with College for Every Student (CFES) to hold a Mobile Robotics workshop on 30 January 2015. Faculty members and cadets traveled to Stamford, CT to conduct a workshop at Cloonan Middle School. Throughout the day the students learned about STEM fields, education and pathways that lead to careers in STEM fields, and they also learned a little bit about what life is like at West Point. Cadets and faculty then led the middle school students and educators through assembling and programming an autonomous robot using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® technology. The workshops ended with a competition to see who programmed their robot to follow a set track most successfully.
CLD STEM partner with SWE for a STEM Workshop at West Point The Center for Leadership and Diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CLD STEM) along with 10 cadets from the West Point Society of Women Engineers (SWE) hosted a Civil Engineering Workshop on 31 January 2015 for 35 6th and 7th grade girls and 5 teachers from the Public Prep Network of schools in New York City. The group spent the day participating in two workshops; one taught the geometry behind building strong Truss bridges and the other taught the fundamental physics of cantilevers. For the culminating event at both workshops teams competed to see who could apply their new understanding to complete a task most successfully. Throughout the day the guests had a chance to interact one on one with the cadets from SWE and went on a short tour around the academic area. The students enjoyed seeing the Mess Hall, the special displays in Jefferson Hall, and learning about the IOTC in Arvin Gym. They also gained a new perspective of life at USMA.
The Career Communications Group is a large and prestigious organization committed to Diversity in STEM fields and education. Professionals from government and industry, faculty, graduate, undergraduate, and K-12 students come from all over the country to attend their conferences, to include the Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) conference, geared towards recognition of excellence, professional development, diversity, and STEM opportunities. It also serves as a great opportunity for networking and knowledge sharing within the STEM community.
Black Engineer of the Year Award Conference. Dr. Kendall Williams, the Associate Director of West Point’s Center for Leadership and Diversity in STEM, was invited by the Vice President of Recruitment and Training as well as a Senior Account Manager and Veterans Affairs Manager to moderate one BEYA panel session as well as serve as a panelist of a different session. The two panels on which he served were entitled Let’s Get Ready to Rumble! Managing groups and cultures when you are not in charge and The Digital Economy: How the cashless society will impact finance, retail and privacy. Several faculty and cadets from USMA were also in attendance at this annual conference and have been award recipients in previous years at other Career Communications Group events.
Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership
BS&L Cadets and Faculty participate in Project HOPE in New York City. The Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership took 26 cadets and 6 faculty members to Project Hope Count in New York City (NYC) on February 9, 2015. The group provided community service to NYC by helping to provide the Hope organization with an accurate count of homeless people, and also facilitating homeless peoples' voluntary movement to shelter.